---
title: "Visibility"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TRSOBJECT-REDSHIFT_OBJECT_TAB_VISIBILITY.html"
section_path: "Object Manager > Tags Menu > Render Tags > Redshift Object Tag > Visibility"
element_id: "TRSOBJECT"
group_id: "REDSHIFT_OBJECT_TAB_VISIBILITY"
description: "The per-object visibility options in Redshift allow you to control if and how objects participate during the various stages of rendering."
---

## Visibility

The per-object visibility options in Redshift allow you to control if and how objects participate during the various stages of rendering.

> **Note:** By default, the **Casts Caustic Photons** option is Off. To render with caustics, you will need to turn this option on for any object that will cast caustic effects in your scene.

### Override

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_OVERRIDE`

Activate this option to apply the individual *Visibility* settings of this tag to the object.

> **Note:** The visibility settings are effective on the object that hosts the Redshift Object tag as well as any child objects.

![Image: subgroup.gif](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/subgroup.gif)\
General

The following examples show the effect of changing the **Primary Ray Visible** and **Secondary Ray Visible** options on the sphere.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddav522488d7830239b8ad5138e5b4d853c6e523.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav522488d7830239b8ad5138e5b4d853c6e523.png) | ![Image: worddav20621baeb68178a2d14f8ba628a0e9ad5493.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav20621baeb68178a2d14f8ba628a0e9ad5493.png) | ![Image: worddavdf5016f02d0ea367c8646275f730b233ad13.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddavdf5016f02d0ea367c8646275f730b233ad13.png) |
| *Primary Ray Visible On, Secondary Ray Visible On* | *Primary Ray Visible Off, Secondary Ray Visible On. The sphere cannot be seen from the camera, but is visible in shadows, reflection, refraction and GI.* | *Primary Ray Visible On, Secondary Ray Visible Off. The sphere is invisible for all effects except camera rays and shadows. Notice the lack of GI on the sphere.* |

### Primary Ray Visible

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_PRIMARYRAYVISIBLE`

Controls whether the object is visible from the camera or not.

### Secondary Ray Visible

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_SECONDARYRAYVISIBLE`

Controls whether the object is visible from all other effects, including reflections, refractions and global illumination.

### Casts Shadows

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_SHADOWCASTER`

Determines whether an object will cast shadows or not.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddav4f82134031f819d3fafa8ad96b38950657b5.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav4f82134031f819d3fafa8ad96b38950657b5.png) | ![Image: worddav0ae65fb9c29ccf094d6f230ced051f1af236.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav0ae65fb9c29ccf094d6f230ced051f1af236.png) |
| *Sphere has 'Casts Shadows' enabled.* | *'Casts Shadows' is disabled. Notice the missing shadow under the sphere.* |

### Receives Shadows

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_SHADOWRECEIVER`

Controls whether the object will receive shadows or not.

### Self-Shadows

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_SELFSHADOWS`

Controls whether the object can shadow itself or not (but can still shadow other objects).

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddaveb8a61c5747a5f0d522ada0d4cc0f05b5281.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddaveb8a61c5747a5f0d522ada0d4cc0f05b5281.png) | ![Image: worddave20730f94a2e047749de63a61a3bb86aca63.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddave20730f94a2e047749de63a61a3bb86aca63.png) |
| *Elephant has 'Self Shadows' enabled.* | *'Self Shadows' is disabled. Notice the missing shadows on the elephant.* |

### Casts AO

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_AOCASTER`

Controls whether the object can cast ambient occlusion onto other objects or not.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddav05908fe481050e684ca8a6d14a618beaac1e.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav05908fe481050e684ca8a6d14a618beaac1e.png) | ![Image: worddav5c98d05c304ac6858e3df4e53ebb04abf6e7.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav5c98d05c304ac6858e3df4e53ebb04abf6e7.png) |
| *Sphere has 'Casts AO' enabled* | *'Casts AO' is disabled. Notice the missing ambient occlusion under the sphere.* |

![Image: subgroup.gif](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/subgroup.gif)\
Reflection & Refraction

### Visible in Reflections

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_REFLECTIONVISIBLE`

Controls whether an object is visible in reflective objects.

### Casts Reflections

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_REFLECTIONCASTER`

Controls whether an object will shoot reflection rays. If the material assigned to the object has no reflections this parameter has no effect.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddav71c5ae973c6933648eb265962d0200a2bd89.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav71c5ae973c6933648eb265962d0200a2bd89.png) | ![Image: worddav20b2a9adecb36d82948642aa5be8aac6b9b0.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav20b2a9adecb36d82948642aa5be8aac6b9b0.png) |
| *Sphere with 'Visible in Reflections' Off* | *Mirror with 'Casts Reflections' Off* |

### Visible in Refractions

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_REFRACTIONVISIBLE`

Controls whether an object is visible when seen *through* transparent objects.

### Casts Refractions

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_REFRACTIONCASTER`

Controls whether an object will shoot refraction rays. If the material assigned to the object has no transparency or refractions, this parameter has no effect.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![Image: worddavb476f141c65f6e734f065cafadf2774032d0.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddavb476f141c65f6e734f065cafadf2774032d0.png) | ![Image: worddav4d6dd26eb0c8dc6dca9324662deced24365f.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/worddav4d6dd26eb0c8dc6dca9324662deced24365f.png) |
| *Sphere with 'Visible in Refractions' Off* | *Glass plane with 'Casts Refractions' Off* |

![Image: subgroup.gif](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/subgroup.gif)\
Global Illumination

### Visible to GI

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_FGVISIBLE`

Controls whether an object is seen by the Irradiance Cache, Irradiance Point Cloud or the Brute Force calculation.

### Visible to Caustic Photons

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_CAUSTICVISIBLE`

Controls whether an object is seen by photons emitted by Caustic Photon Mapping.

### Receives GI

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_FGCASTER`

Controls whether an object will receive any GI at all – including both photon- and non-photon-based GI. Turning 'Receives GI' off means the object will not receive any lighting from the Irradiance Cache, Brute Force, Irradiance Point Cloud or Caustic Photon Mapping.

### Force Brute-Force GI

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_FORCEBRUTEFORCEGI`

This means that, even if the user has selected Irradiance Cache for the primary GI engine, that object will still use Brute-force GI. This is useful when for scenes that work well with Irradiance Cache, but have a few highly detailed or 'noisy' objects like grass or trees, for which Brute Force GI is a better choice.

### Casts Caustic Photons

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_CAUSTICCASTER`

Controls whether caustic photons will refract through refractive objects and/or be reflected by reflective objects.

### Receives Caustic Photons

Parameter ID: `REDSHIFT_OBJECT_VISIBILITY_CAUSTICSRECEIVER`

Controls whether the object will receive caustics created by other objects.